Hector and Paris stood up as Menelaus arrived. The King of Greece walked slowly towards them, giving menacing looks only to Paris all the way to the seat. He suddenly felt nervousness take over him as he and his brother sat down together side by side.

"Welcome" Priam still stood as he guided Menelaus to the opposite side of the table.

"I'm not here for pleasantries. I invited your sons as royal guests in my household. They were well treated and fed. I left for one meeting and when I came back all my gold and riches were taken...along with my wife! I'm here because your son has stolen my wife." He sneered.

Paris stood up, "I may have stole your riches but I didn't steal your wife"

Hector and Priam looked at each other in disbelief. Of course he had stolen Menelaus' wife! He took her from her husband and daughter. She was taken away from her country and brought to a foreign place where she would not be found. How could this have been considered not stealing? Pairs would tell why soon enough.

"What? You have my wife I want her back NOW!" He banged his fists against the table in rage. Paris seemed to cringe at the sudden jolt the table endured. Menelaus was a strong man there was no doubt in that. He was a warrior, a man skilled in fighting with swords and shields. He was old, about 50 and he was very intimidating, Paris had to summon all his courage to continue.

"She tells me how things were back in Greece. You speak of her as if she's an object! For shame! No wonder she doesn't love you" as he spoke, a woman appeared beside Menelaus and whispered something in his ear. Her name was Eris, goddess of discord.

Paris froze as he gazed upon her shaking his head. He took a step back and quivered. This was unlucky; it was a bad omen.

"No, please don't. Let us be...leave these matters to us" Paris began mumbling to the goddess who was grinning evilly and laughing silently. Priam stared at his son, who was seemingly talking to no one in his eyes along with everybody else's.

"Whom are you talking to?" Hector cocked up one eyebrow in confusion.

"Eris...do you not see her standing beside Menelaus?" His eyes now saw nothing now as well; she had disappeared just as quickly as she came to sight but left plenty of signs that she had been there. It was obvious only Paris had seen her.

"Nonsense!! Are you mocking me? Do you think this is funny, boy?" He gritted his teeth impatiently. The last thing Paris should have done was spoken out. He knew very well that the gods and goddesses liked to play nasty tricks on mortals to entertain themselves.

"I must apologize for my son's odd behavior. He has fever and must be delirious. Please understand," Priam just hoped that Paris wouldn't do anything foolish.

"I'M NOT DELERIOUS! Hector, did you not see her?!" He was frustrated; illness shouldn't have been an excuse for anything. It was a sign of weakness and dishonor. He looked to his brother for support.

"No. I don't know what you're seeing. Nobody is here except for us. I think you need rest, I'm taking you home" Hector got up and had grabbed Paris' arm but his brother pulled away violently.

"Fine! Believe what you will...I stole your wife! You may have married Helen before I laid eyes on her, but bear this in mind, she feels love for me; a love that you never received from her and never will! How could you say I stole her from you when you never had her in the first place" He was yelling loudly.

"I've had enough of this! Mark my words boy, before this war ends I will make sure personally that you die an agonizingly slow and painful death. I'll send you to Hades myself!" Menelaus stormed out of the room, footsteps echoing the morbidly silent and deserted halls.

Paris took a step to leave after him but was stopped as a hand grabbed his arm again. Hector pulled Paris roughly to face him trying to shake sense into him as he yelled, "What are you trying to do? Anger the gods? You'll get us all killed! What in the world has gotten into you?!"

He didn't answer but instead pulled his arm forcefully out of Hector's grip and walked away.

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Paris raced past Helenus and Cassandra who were waiting in the halls.

"I told you things would go wrong tonight" She spoke quietly.

Helenus ran after his brother, "Wait! Tell me what has happened!"

Paris stopped without looking back, "It's none of your concern, why do you want to know?"

"Because I saw something in my dream. I want to know what happened. What ever you do, don't quarrel with him! It will be your downfall!" Helenus couldn't help it. He had to keep Paris from fighting.

"It's too late for that. I stole his wife. I have to defend my honor; sooner or later I will have to face him. This war won't be over until I do so" He stood still for a moment but then continued to walk until he was out of sight.

"He won't listen to you. He's stubborn. Let him be... he has yet to face him and it will not be soon" Cassandra put her hand on her brother's shoulder trying to comfort him.

"I suppose so, but when the time comes it could be his doom" Helenus sighed.

"Don't you worry. We'll do everything in our power to help him" her mind was somewhere distant as she said this. If he was going to be okay she didn't know. After all, her brother had seen him fighting a loosing battle, was it possible he foresaw his last?

"Only the gods can help him. They decide our fate not us" came a depressed reply.

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The city was dark. Paris walked through the streets; only the moon of Artemis filled the citadel with visible light. The night was humid, enough that sweat plastered Paris' forehead, leaving his hair damp.

Not even a little flickering of light came out of windows nor the sounds of people awake in their houses. It was almost as if the city was dead, no life to be seen or heard. It left him feeling lonely. Troy was asleep and when this slumber came upon the city, it left fears behind.

It was about time that he went home. Helen would be waiting and the night was getting old. He only hoped that Aphrodite stood on his side tonight, perhaps she would not be angry that he kept her waiting so long.

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"Ohh, Andromache don't leave! Please stay until he comes, I'm really worried. I don't want to be left alone in thought not knowing where he is." Helen was fretting. Where could he be? The meeting had probably ended hours ago.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay any longer. Astyanax is with a girl who works at the palace looking after him. I don't think she is capable of staying up this late, she's only fourteen years old" Andromache gave Helen a reassuring hug, "Be patient, he'll come to you. I promise"

With that Andromache left, leaving Helen alone. Alone to think. Her mind wandered as she sat on the bed. It seemed empty without Paris lying there in it. Pleasant memories filled her head of her and Paris when Aphrodite visited. She remembered the sweet taste of Ambrosia and wine that she came with as gifts for the couple.

Helen got up and went over to the loom. There was a picture in it, a picture of a pomegranate tree. Memories lingered in her head of when Paris and her used to read books together quietly in the cool breeze outside. She couldn't stand it anymore; everything in the room reminded her of Paris. What if things had gone wrong in the meeting? Was it possible that Paris had fought with Menelaus and gotten injured?

"I'm going to out and look for him" Helen got up and left the palace in a hurry.

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Paris arrived at the palace earlier than he had intended. He couldn't stand thinking that Helen was alone. As soon as he entered the building he ran into a strange looking man wearing a white tunic and winged sandals. It was Hermes, messenger of the gods.

"Paris! Stop for a moment. I have a message from Aphrodite. Do not bother looking for Helen in your bedchamber, she is not waiting for you." He caught the young prince's attention.

"Then where is she?" came a quick response back.

"I don't know. I ran into her on my way here, she was leaving and had asked me where you were. Naturally I said I didn't know and she went out looking for you" With that he left, leaving Paris full of questions but hr didn't waste any time going back out again to look for her. He left immediately and made haste back to the citadel.

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He ran through many streets calling out her name. His hair danced in the breeze created by the nighttime chills. It seemed that Helen had disappeared. He wandered until he reached the empty market; the place was populated during the day, busy with merchants and people who were looking for a deal. At night it seemed eerie, quiet and uninhabited.

"NO! STOP! LET GO OF ME!" A woman was screaming. She was in trouble, who ever she was.

He ran around a corner and drew his bow, fitting an arrow on to it. As he leaned to see over the edge of the market wall he saw Helen, struggling to break free from a man who had cornered and pinned her to the wall. He was going to rape her, Paris was sure about that. Helen shouldn't have wandered off at night; it was always a dangerous place to be when the sun was out of the sky.

He wasted no time in letting the arrow fly and in a matter of a second; the man fell to his knees with an arrow lodged in his back, gasping for air. Helen began to cry as she saw Paris appear from the dark corner.

"Are you all right?" He got no answer from her, only a nod. He pushed her hair off her shoulders and hugged her, relived that he had been there at the right moment.

"I didn't know where you were! I went looking for you because I was worried" She only hugged him tighter as she felt relief spill over her body.

"Worry? Why?" Paris took a moment to untie the cape off his shoulders and wrapped it around her.

"You're sick. I don't think you should have gone to the meeting, so I got worried when you didn't come home right away. I figured something might have gone wrong" She placed her hand on his forehead, his temperature had gone down from when she had last checked, "You've cooled down, I'm glad. Do you feel any better?"

"Yes, a little. But I guarantee you I will feel a lot worse when mother hears about what happened at the meeting. I'll tell you all about it when we get back home" They took a step forward and then stopped.

"Paris?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you"

"I love you too, my dear Helen"

Author's Note: HUUUUUGE chapter! See, for me I think of it this way: short chapters = fast updates... long chapters = less updates. What an action pact chapter!